Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to image data management and in particular to a method and system of selecting a view or an area of interest (AOI) from a plurality of images captured by a plurality of cameras.
Discussion of Related Art
A relatively large image generally contains a plurality of pixels, e.g., millions of pixels. Each pixel has one, two or more bands. Each band has a certain color depth or bit depth. For example, an RGB color-based image has 3 bands, the red band (R), the green band (G) and the blue band (B). Each of the R, G and B bands can have a depth of 8 bits or more. Hence, in this example, each pixel can have a total bit depth of 24 bits or more.
A video or film camera captures a plurality of images or frames at a certain rate, i.e., a number of times per second (frames per second). Each captured image or frame, in a digital form, has a certain size defined by its pixel height and its pixel width. Pixel height corresponds to a number of rows of pixels in the image and pixel width corresponds to the number of columns in the image. Each image pixel has one or more bands. Each band can represent a quantized signal from a range of frequencies from the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, in the visible spectrum, the bands can represent different colors such as red, blue, and green (RGB).
An image sensor or camera can be used to capture a series of images or frames. Each image or frame in the series of images or frames can have thousands of pixels. Each image may have a relatively high resolution, such as 4K, 6K, 8K or more. As understood in the art, a 4K resolution refers to content or image(s) having horizontal resolution on the order of 4,000 pixels. Several 4K resolutions exist in the fields of digital television and digital cinematography. In the movie projection industry, DIGITAL CINEMA INITIATIVES (DCI) is the dominant 4K standard. A 4K resolution, as defined by DCI, is 4096 pixels×2160 pixels (approximately a 1.9:1 aspect ratio). An image of 4096 pixels by 2160 pixels has about 9 Megapixels (MP). As specified in standards for Ultra High Definition television, 4K resolution is also defined as 3840 pixels×2160 pixels (approximately a 1.78:1 aspect ratio). The following TABLE 1 provides examples of known standards for relatively high resolution images captured by industry standard camera sensors.
TABLE 1Resolution (W pixels wide byFormatH pixels tall or W × H)Ultra high definition television (UHDTV)3840 × 2160(Aspect Ratio is 1.78:1)Ultra wide television5120 × 2160(Aspect Ratio is 2.33:1)WHXGA (Aspect Ratio is 1.6:1)5120 × 3200DCI 4K (native)4096 × 2160(Aspect Ratio is 1.90:1)DCI 4K (Cinemascope)4096 × 1716(Aspect Ratio is 2.39:1)DCI 4K (flat cropped)3996 × 2160(Aspect Ratio is 1.85:1)8K-UHD (Aspect Ratio is 2.4:1)7680 × 3200
The images may be captured in sequence, for example at a reasonably constant frequency (e.g., 24 images or frames per second (fps), 48 fps, 60 fps, etc.). Each image (i.e., each still image or frame) in the sequence or series of images may have one or more distinct bands and may cover any part of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be captured by the image sensor or camera, including, the visible (VIS) spectrum, the infrared (IR) spectrum or the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum. The image sensor or camera may be a single sensor or a combination or a matrix of multiple smaller sensors or cameras that can be arranged to generate a larger image. Each smaller sensor or camera can be configured to capture a plurality of smaller images. The smaller images captured by the smaller sensors or cameras can then be combined (or stitched) to form a plurality of larger images.
In the media and entertainment industry, on network television, on cable television, on broadcast television, and on digitally distributed video content, some of the highest image pixel resolutions are known as 4K and 8K. For film, 4K is an image frame that is 4096 pixels wide by 2160 pixels tall. For ultra-high definition TV, 4K is an image frame that is 3840 pixels wide by 2160 pixels tall. In addition, 8K image frame sizes are also gaining ground. However, the most popular distribution formats are still 720P and 1080P which have image frame sizes of 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall and 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall, respectively. Recently, 4K media playback devices have reached the mainstream market. These devices can also interpolate and display 1080P content.
Those skilled in the media and entertainment industry are aware of various existing and published standards in the industry. For example, in sport broadcasts, such as NASCAR®, NFL®, NHL®, NBA®, and FIFA®, with the advent of live and archive media streaming, the “second-screen” experience has gained popularity. For example, some sports venues have employed custom camera configurations that capture a video of a relatively high resolution that is larger than 1920 pixel wide and 1080 pixels tall. A video of image size 1920×1080 captured at 30 fps or 60 fps is also referred to as 1080P. For example, 3D-4U based in Seattle, Wash., USA, creates a very wide strip of video that is approximately 18000 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall or 1080 pixels tall. Using custom software and computers, they extract a smaller area of interest a size substantially smaller in pixel width and height than the captured strip content. This smaller area is optimized for display on a virtual reality environment or an APPLE iPad®.
However, none of the known image technologies or systems are able to provide or deliver a plurality of images or a video where an object in physical space captured in one or more images of the plurality of images can be mapped to pixels of the one or more images.